How can I market my dance school to prospective students?

You teach because you love to dance. But these tough economic times call for much more business acumen and strategy than you might have needed in the past. Here are just a few, simple ideas to get you thinking about how you could improve your marketing.

Consider what you’re saying about your school and how you’re saying it. What is your biggest selling point? It could be the range of styles you teach, the convenient location of your studio, or the qualifications you offer. Highlighting one or two aspects of your work will create a message that’s memorable and compelling.

Strengthen your online presence. A good website is essential and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money – you just need to make things easy to find for prospective students.

You’ve got lots of interesting things to say – so let your patrons know! The more often you post news and blog online, the higher up you’ll land in Search Engine rankings and the more people will come to your website. Similarly, frequent use of other social media networks can help increase traffic to your site, so join some social networking websites and become part of the online community. You can find many other resources online and there are lots of ways to promote your school or services for free. And don’t forget www.dance-teachers.org where, as an ISTD member, you can register for free and upload information and photos about you and your school.

You probably already collect email addresses, but are you using them effectively? Send a welcome email to new students and those who haven’t taken a class in a while, with an offer that encourages them to come back soon. Email is an extension of your studio and helps you tell your story.

Local connections are invaluable, so strengthen your relationships with the schools and groups in your area. Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools around and can prove to be a great way of bringing dance into the community.